INFORMATION / TALKING POINTS

The monkey-breeding farm is meant to hold more than 3,000 macaques, who
will be kept in confined cages and forced to breed continuously so they can
be shipped around the world for scientific research.

Besides being extremely cruel to the primates, this plan is a risk to public
health and compromises an ecosystem that already has problems with
non-indigenous wildlife. ADI previously stated: “Primera has not addressed
the question of potential interaction between the different primate species
or the potential for cross-species spread of disease. Florida has previously
allowed, and documented regret regarding, the introduction of two different
species of monkeys into the wild.”

Primera has failed to address a number of serious
economic, environmental, agricultural, and public health issues associated
with its proposed monkey breeding facility in Labelle, Florida.

As noted in its water use permit, Primera intends to house
3200 non-human primates, thereby increasing (not reducing, as they claim)
the number of animals used in biomedical research.

Primera says “We stand by our commitment to create jobs
and…promote economic development”; however, it remains unclear whether the
company will actually introduce jobs to Hendry County that are at or above
its median. By our analysis, as many as two thirds of the promised 50 jobs
may be below federal poverty standards and below the county’s median
household income. ADI’s undercover investigation revealed internal corporate
documents which imply that PreLabs (Primera’s managing company) viewed
Hendry’s financial challenges as key toward easy permitting.

Primera states it has fulfilled all the necessary
environmental impact, permitting, and survey requirements; however, under
the current structure we understand there will be no review by state or
federal agencies regarding the potential impact of introducing yet another
non-native exotic to the state’s indigenous plants, animals, and waters.
Florida has looked at similar situations before and determined they are
better prevented than resolved, and nearly impossible to eradicate. Despite
this, it is poised to invite a new problem by introducing yet another
non-native species without proper evaluation beforehand, one the existing
permitting process does not take into account.

It is also important to note that the project property
received its water permit under a livestock designation. Florida statutes do
not include macaques in its definition of livestock; in fact, the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists macaques as a Class II
wildlife, which pose a danger to people and require a permit to possess or
sell. Further, macaque monkeys eat a variety of fruit and where introduced
as a non-native, they are argued to be a pest to agriculture, native bird
and seed populations, and at times even small animals or their eggs.

Primera has not addressed the question of potential
interaction between the different primate species or the potential for
cross-species spread of disease. Florida has previously allowed, and
documented regret regarding, the introduction of two different species of
monkeys into the wild. Now, more than 3200 monkeys – a third species from a
third continent – will be introduced, with the attendant risks of
cross-species infection. Though some may argue that the monkeys will be
contained, Florida’s current population of wild monkeys underscores the
failures of containment. After Hurricane Andrew for example, numerous
monkeys escaped from a research facility in Miami. A rumor spread that the
animals had been used in AIDS research; the public panicked and began
shooting them in the street.

ADI’s undercover investigation of Biodia, PreLabs’ partner
in Mauritius and presumed primate supplier to the proposed LaBelle facility,
revealed horrific treatment of monkeys. Findings included workers swinging
screaming monkeys by their tails, distressed baby monkeys torn from the arms
of their desperate mothers and tattooed without anesthetic, and monkeys
injected in the eyelids for TB tests. This footage and that from other ADI
undercover investigations show this is the typical treatment of non-human
primates at breeding facilities across the globe.

The world is moving away from primate research, as both
the public and scientific community are concerned about the use of these
intelligent, social animals in laboratory research and the effect of the
trade on the conservation of the species in the wild. There is a wealth of
scientific opinion and video-graphic and documentary evidence of the
chilling brutality and desperation these monkeys endure throughout their
entire lives. Primera’s suggestion that the “local community’s appreciation
for animals and their use” includes using and abusing primates this way
ignores growing public opinion throughout Florida and worldwide, and it
ignores the changing face of the testing and research industries.

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